3 Washington youths recovering from dog attack

An 8-year-old boy, his younger sister and their baby sitter are recovering from bite wounds after a dog belonging to the siblings' family attacked them in their backyard in Washington state.

KBKW reports the boy had the worst of it. He received stitches for wounds to his head and thigh. His 3-year-old sister and their 15-year-old baby sitter also were treated for dog bites.

When police were called to the home in the coastal town of Hoquiam on Friday, the officer found a mastiff mauling the boy in the yard and the baby sitter and 3-year-old in a shed trying to hold off the dog with a rake.

The officer used a stun gun to shock the animal and then shot it three times with his service pistol to stop the attack.

Police Chief Jeff Myers says the dog was still aggressive when a veterinary tech arrived and euthanized it at the family's request.